From my perch in Seattle, I’m enjoying more civilized temperatures in the low 40s. I feel for the rest of youse and your freezer-burned brains and the inevitable madness of cabin fever.

Allow me, a long-time veteran of wintry past lives in Philly, New York and DC, to help scrape you off the floor and spin you like a dervish right into the kitchen. Herewith, some of my all-time favorite ways to take the edge off a dastardly chill. You’ll be toasty in no time.

1. Spiced Hot ChocolateThink chai with a chocolate twist. Steep milk with star anise, cardamom and other warming spices, then whisk in cocoa powder. I’ve made this using fortified coconut milk with equally rich results. Excellent with or without a shot of rum for those in need of a Caribbean daydream.

2. Black Bean Sweet Potato ChiliA wintry staple in our house for several years, this little number will take care of you for a few days, and it gets better over time. Don’t worry if you haven’t soaked the dried beans; you can use a coupla cans and still dine like queens.

3. Red Lentils with Cumin-Fried Onions and Wilted SpinachI always tell legume first-timers that lentils are like the training wheels of the legume world, as they require no soaking and take all of a half hour to cook. That’s right — start to finish, this dish comes together in just under an hour. On your marks…

4. Polenta with Spicy Tomato SauceFor sub-zero climes, you’re going to need chow that sticks to the ribs, and polenta (a.k.a. cornmeal porridge) is about as Alpine (or fit for a bear) as it gets. You can make a quickie marinara sauce seasoned with briny anchovies like I’ve suggested, or add some butter and grated Parm. Or a hunk of blue cheese and some dried oregano. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly need to download an audio version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

5. Veggie Pot Pie with Cheddar CrustEven if you’ve never dared make a pie crust, you’ll be surprised at how quickly the dough comes together, with no special equipment or master baker skills. Before venturing out to the supermarket, check the crisper drawer; you may already have the filling fixin’s in your midst. Carrots, onions and potatoes, anyone?

p.s. With this baby in the oven, the windows will fog up and the whole house will smell AMAZING.

6. Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils and ChardStill skittish about making pie dough? No problem. Make this crust-less (and meatless) shepherd’s pie instead. Don’t worry if you can’t be bothered to make the onion gravy; the pie is plenty lovely on its own.

7. Chicken CurryIf I had to pick one go-to dish to forget the pain of a colder-than-a-witch’s-tit night, this chicken curry would be it. Instead of coconut milk driving this train, this curry is all about cilantro, ginger, garlic and chiles, with a lemony broth. I have made this dish on snow days, on rainy days, for friends moving to the other side of the world, for birthday parties and for easing heartbreak. From Indian cooking doyenne Madhur Jaffrey, this curry is a culinary panacea that you’ll want to make over and again.

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For more than a decade, journalist and chef Kim O'Donnel has dispensed culinary advice at numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Culinate and USA Today. She is the author of two cookbooks, most recently The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations (Da Capo Press, 2012) which was among the Washington Post’s Top Cookbooks of 2012. Kim is a regular contributor to Real Food Right Now, a seasonal produce series on Ecocentric and writes a monthly column for iVillage. She tweets as @kimodonnel

Margit’s Note: You Glow, Girl

Hey you! We’re back with a new issue and it’s a hot and spicy scorcher. Our theme this week is Glow — as in “Glow little glow worm glimmer, glimmer.” As in fiery pink and orange lights blazing across a June night.